LONDON - Asia's dubious human rights record plunged to new lows last year with government anti-crime drives and the US-led war o­n terror implicated in some of the worst abuses, Amnesty International said today.

Few of the region's leaderships escaped scathing criticism for their handling of the turbulent months after the Sept 11, 2001 attacks o­n the United States with Amnesty's annual report highlighting a litany of concerns.

"Human rights abuses worsened in many Asia-Pacific countries, particularly in the context of armed conflict, the 'war against terrorism' as well as 'crackdowns o­n crime'," the London-based human rights group said.